Published 11:12 am, Monday, October 17, 2011

Progress continues in bringing the Dow Powerhouse Solar Shingle to homes across America.

The Dow Chemical Co. announced seven new certifications for product performance and safety at an event today. Last week, the company commercially launched the shingles with the nation’s largest homebuilder. And, construction is under way on the first full-scale manufacturing site in Midland.

The certifications — from Underwriters Laboratories, the International Code Council Evaluation Service, International Electrotechnical Commission and more — prove the quality of the product, Dow Solar Vice President Jane Palmieri said.

Dow announced Thursday that it was partnering with D.R. Horton to make the solar shingle a standard feature on 50 new homes in the developer’s Spring Mesa community in Colorado, marking the product’s official commercial launch.

At the future manufacturing site in Midland, construction crews are working to enclose the facility before winter hits. A construction manager said the project is about 15 to 20 percent complete. Local construction employees make up more than 90 percent of the crew of 85 to 90 people on site each day in this phase of construction.